Parker, 30, had crashed her bike into a guard rail on the side of the road at 45kmh breaking her ribs, neck, puncturing her lungs and fatefully severing her spine, leaving her paralysed from the waist down.

However, the former swimmer turned world champ triathlete wasn't ready to give up her biggest passion. Parker was determined to get back into the sport she loved so much and within just nine months she was back competing, but this time as a paratriathlete.

"I've always been an athlete, it's all I've known. So, when I was told I could be a paratriathlete I didn't think twice, I just wanted to get back to the sport that I loved," Parker told 9Honey.

But the battle continues for Parker, who admits that her prior mind-set as an able-bodied athlete was so far from her now-reality.

"When I was an able-bodied athlete, I'd see para-athletes and think oh it's a shame they can't walk," Parker shares. "But it's so much more than what you see on the outside. There's so much more para-athletes have to deal with in their head, with their disabilities.

"The easiest part for me is not walking. There are so many more battles that I've got to overcome every day.

(www.laurenparker.com.au)

"I'm in 24/7 pain to 90 per cent of my body all the time and that's what people don't see. They just see me not walking."

Parker does see how far she's come and is always humbled by people who approach her in the street, although it wasn't always the case.

"I have people that I don't even know come up to me and say I inspire them. At first I didn't really understand why I would inspire people but after hearing their stories and what they've overcome, it's maybe they've been able to overcome it because of my journey," Parker says.

"It makes me feel really good that I can make a difference in other peoples lives."

Parker is currently training for the world championships again, and is aiming to head to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics. She also admitted to wanting to compete in the 2020 Hawaiian ironman series six weeks after the Paralympics.